Formation of wire coils



March 19, 1935. K, C, BUGG 1,994,684

FORMATION 0F WIRE GOILS Filed Nov. 4, .1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l March 19, 1935.

Filed Nov. '4.51955 2 sheets-sheet 2 www# Peiemed Mer. 19, 1935 A ggggpgn incassi p FoaMA'rroN or wien cons Kcnly C. Bliss, Farmington, Mo., assigner to Y Hoosier Lamp it Stamping Corporation, Evans-l ville, End., a corporation of Indiana Application November i, 1933, serial No. 696,620 12 oiaims. (ciste-59) in the manufacture of wire, particularly that necessityfor spools and't'o eliminate the many of wire used in the electrical industry, andV in the disadvantages attendant upon the use of spools in manufacture of the various larticles into which the manufacture, handling, strage, and shipsuch wire enters, the Wire is frequently Wound ment of wire and also to overcomerdisadvantages upon spools for convenience in handling and Which are present when wire is unwound'from a Y5 storage. v The use of spools for 'this purpose has spool. A further and more specific object of my been Vrecognized as having a number of serious invention is to produce a coil of wire which will drawbacks; but spools have continued in use ever be self-supporting and tem Wheh, WtnOnt the since the inception of the electrical industry beneed of any COlfnnllCeteCl taglie-Off deVCe, the Wle cause no satisfactory substitute for them has can be withdrawn axially while the coil remains 10 ever been discovered. stationary. Y l

The disadvantages attending the use of spools In Carrying Ont my nVentOn I 012m 3 Cell 0f. are many. In the first place, spools require a Wire UDII a CellelDSllleV S9001 Wllieh iS generally relatively large capital investment von theA part Similar t0 the SDOOlS nOW in use eXCeDt that it iS of the manufacturer and are subject t0 depredemcuntacle so that the nished coil of Wire, 15 clarion and damage which increasethe cost of with or without an internal Supporting Core, ycan wire and the cost of articles formed'from wire. be leYnOVed TOIn it aS e nnt- AS the WIe iS In addition, when spooled wire is shipped, trans- WOnnOl nnen the S9001 I embody in the resulting portation charges must be paid 0n the Spool as coil short pieces of flexible material whichl are well as on the wire; and if the spool is to be redisposed generally longitudinally of the coil and 20 Y turned to its starting point, additional transporta- WhCh are OlOled 0Ve1 enClelOnnfl tnInS and tion charges are incurred. For example, when aA layers 0f the Wire. These Deeee 0f flexible Inn-Y wire manufacturer Sellsl a, Spool of Wire tol 9, terial are `not tied upon themselves, but are held customer, the customer is charged both for the in Dlwe rSOlelV by being Cle'nped between SnCCeS- Wire and the spool', and the spool must be resive turns or layers of wire. The last layer of 25 turned to the manufacturer before the customer Wie applied t0 the C011, 01 e peltOn O Such last receives credit for it. rl'his same condition oblayer COVelS the lee endS 0f anyrneCeS 0f neXble tains in factories where spooled Wire may be material which have not been previously covered, passed from one department to another; and and the'extreme outer end of the wire is anchored rather complicated accounting methods may be to the body of the coil in any convenient manner. 30 necessary t0 keep track ofthe spools, l When the coil is completed, the spool upon which A further disadvantage which follows from the it hasbeen formed is taken apart-and the COl use of spools, and a disadvantage which is per- Ten'lOVedhaps of even greater importance than those The Cell 0f Wle aS tllllS' fen-neel Iney be 11nalrea-dy set forth, is the diiculty which attends WOnnby etner Of tWO delent methOdS. The l the unwinding of wire from spools. This is egpecoil might, for example, be mounted for rotation cially notable in the case of wirecf thesmailer about its ownfaXS upon a suitable Spindle or sizes, Where the wire may be ofv insufficient cross#v a'rbOI I(1nd the Wire Withdrawn 'tengentlelly- A sectional area to sustain the tensile stresses impreferable method, however, flS to Support the 40 posed upon it as the result of the nertiaof the coil stationarily andto withdraw the wire axially 40 reel or spool from which it is unwound. Manyj of the Coil. Whichever method is employed for attempts have been made to overcome this disunwinding tliecoil, the strips of llexible material advantage by the useof end take-off devices by do not interfere, for they are successively freed as means of which the spool is maintained stationary they are uncovered by the Vsuccessive removal of and the wire fed from it by a rotating arm. the layers of wire in the unwinding operation. 45 These devices are rather complicated and their If the unwinding is performed by axial withdrawl use does not give complete satisfaction. of the wire, the pieces of flexible material,` after Additional disadvantages of spools are the having their outer ends freed,form yielding lingers possibility of damage to` the wire as the resultof which project generally radially outwardly at the accidentally produced roughened spots on the end Of the Cell and eet aS 2 light brake preventing 50 spool surfaces and the fact that the spool must the withdrawal from the coil of more than one be considered as a factor in determining the most turn of wire at a time. This is especially of value economical size of package to meet any given set in the case of line wire. of conditions. The accompanying drawings are illustrative of lt is the object of my invention to eliminate the my invention: Fig. 1 is an end elevation of a 55 coil of wire which has been formed in accordance with my invention; Figs. 2 and 3 are axial sections through the coil in different planes and on the lines 2--2 and 3 3 of Fig. 1 respectively; Fig. 4 is an end elevation of a coil wound by a slightly different process; Figs. 5 and 6 are axial sections through the coil of Fig. 4 on the line 4-4 and 5 5 respectively; Fig. '7 is a fragmental axial section through a coil embodying a central permanent core, but otherwise similar to the coil of Figs. 4, 5, and 6; Fig. Bis a fragmental axial section of a coil showing how it is finished exteriorly; Fig. 9 is an axial section througha demountable spool suitable for use in the winding of coils embodying my invention; Fig. lOis a transverse section of such a spool; Fig. 11 illustratesV still another method of forming a coil of wire upon a permanent core inaccordance with my invention; Fig. 12 is an axial section illustrating a slight modification of the process illustrated in Fig. l1 to ladapt the application kof my invention to a situationin which the coil does not have a permanent core; Fig. 13 is a side elevation of a nnished coil produced by either of the methods illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive; andFig. 14 illustrates the manner in which wire may be withdrawn from-a coil embodying my invention.

The spool upon which my coil of wire is wound may take Va number of different forms. That shown in'FigspQ and '10 comprises a collapsible mandrel formed of two generally seniicylindrical parts 10 and V11 which are removably secured between two heads 12 and 13. In the assembled spool, there is a slight gap between the two parts 10 and l1, so that when the heads are removed, thesetwo parts can be moved toward each other to decrease the effective outside diameter of the mandrel and permit its withdrawal from the coil.

In winding a coil of the type shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 a series of strips or tapes of nexible material 20 are first brought -into `association with the spool. Each ofthese strips extends generally axially along the outer surface of the spool-mandrel and has its ends bent outwardly along the inner surfaces of the two heads 12 and 13. The exact number of strips 20 which are to be used will vary with the size of the mandrel and also with the sizeof the wire to be wound, larger coils and Smaller wire requiringmore of the strips 20.

With the strips 2G disposed as just described, the winding of the wire is begun at one end of the mandreL'closely adjacent one head of the spool and over the strips 20. The wire is woundin av continuous layer until the opposite spool-head is reached, and then a second layer is wound in the opposite direction, in the usual manner of winding wire upon spools.

At the conclusion of the winding of the second layer, a second set of strips, here designated as strips 21,1is laid in place. 'Ihese strips extend generally axially along the outer surface of the second layer of wire and have ytheir ends bent outwardly to extend radially on the faces of the spool-heads 12 and 13. Conveniently, the strips 21 are disposed angularly between the strips 20, as is clear from Fig. 1.

After the strips 2l have been placed as just set forth, the winding of the wire is continued until two more layers have been wound. Upon the completion of these two layers, the opposite ends of the strips 20 are folded inwardly over the layers of wire which have been wound, and the winding progresses until another layer has been completed and the ends of the strips 20 completely covered. During the winding of this fifth layer, the ends of the strips 21 remain in their respective radial positions. 1

When the fth layer has. been completed,

third set of strips 22 is put in position. These tapes may occupy the sameaxialplanes as do the f tapes 20 which have just been covered by the Vfifth layer of wire; and, as in the case of the first two setsof tapes, each of the tapes22 extends along the outer surface .of the wire which has been wound and has its outer ends bent Yto extend winding of the seventh layer of wire, a fourth set of tapes23 Ais putin position, and covered by two layers of wire.

layer of wire, another set of tapes24 putin place,

Then the ends of the tapes A 22 are folded inwardly and covered with a single and this process is continued runtil a coil-of ,the

desireddiameter isbuilt up.' Y "Io permit the use of shorter pieces of flexible material and to avoid the necessity of folding the two ends of each piece used, I maywind the coil in the form illustrated in Figs. 4 to 6. Hereinstead of using pieces of tape which extendthe full length of the spool-mandrel and have their`Vv ends bent outwardly to extend radially along the innerfaces of both spool-heads `12 and 13, I use pieces of nexibie material which are materially shorter. l In winding a coil of this kind, .I firstV` bring into association with the spool a seriesof;

pieces of flexible material 30 each of which Ais bent at substantially rightangles at an intermediate point. The strips of flexible material 30 are all located at one end of the spool,one leg ofeach strip extending radially outwardlyalong the inner face of one of the spool-heads and the other leg-,extending along the outer surface of the mandrel toward but not to the other end thereof. .y

, After the strips 30 have been disposed as just set forth, the winding of the wire is started beginning at the .folds in the tapes 30. Before the winding of the wire has progressed for half the length of the spool, however, a second set of stripsof flexv ible material 31 are put in position. These strips are similar to the strips 30, but are disposed at the opposite end of the spool with theirradially extending legs lying along the face rof the head .at

that end and their axially;extending legs lying along the mandrel and overlapping to a slight extent the wire which has already ,been wound.

Each of the strips 31 is disposed angularly `between two of the strips 30. l Y

Following the placing of the strips 31, the wind-- ing of the wire is proceeded with; but before the.

nrst layer of wire is completed, those ends of the strips 30 which have been in contactV with ther mandrel are bent outwardly so that theywill not,v

be covered by any of the later-wound turns of the 1 first wire-layer. Following this operation, the

first layer of wire is completed anda second layer y wound. This second layer covers the inner, end of the strips 30 and 31.

Before starting the third layer of wire vI place in position a third set of similar tapes 32 at that end of the spool from which the winding started, these tapes being angularly disposed intermediate the first set of tapes 30 and, conveniently, respectively co-planar with the tapes 31. The winding. of the third layer of wire is then started, but before that layer is completed a. fourth set of tapes 33 is put in position at the same end of the spool at which the tapes 31 are located. The tapes 33 are arranged angularly intermediate the tapes 31 and respectively Vcoplanar with the tapes and their axially extending legs are covered by thej third layer of wire. A fourth layer of wire then may be wound without the placing of any further pieces of tape; and at the completion of the winding of the fourth layer the Vprojecting ends of the tapes 30 andBl are folded inwardly and covered by a fth layer. On the fifth layer of wire are disposed two sets'of tapes 34 and 35 located respectively at opposite ends of the spool, and the axially extending legs of these tapes are covered with two layers of wire. Following this, two more sets of tapes 36 and 37 are put in place, and covered with two layers of wire; and then the ends of the tapes 32 and 33 are folded inwardly and the winding proceeded with;

This process is continued until a coil of the desired external diameter'is built up. v

In cases where it is permissible or desirable to wind the coil upon a hollow tube or other element which will remain withinnit, the necessity of bringing the ends of the :tapes 30v and 31 through the first wire-layer may be eliminated; as the prime purpose of bringing the ends of the tapes 30 and 3l outwardly through the rst layer of wire to be clamped between the Vrst and second layers is to secure suchtape-ends in place.` When the coil is to be wound upon a permanent core, such as the card board tube 40 illustratedr in Fig. 7, the inner ends of the tapes 30- and 31 will be held in place by reason of the fact that they `are securely' clamped againstthe tube 40 by the turns vof the iirst wire-layer.

In finishing any of the wire-coils so far described, the radially projecting ends of the last sets of tapes are secured as indicated in Figs, 7 and 13. After the winding of what.` is to be the last full layer of wire has progressed for several turns, the projecting tape-ends .at that end of the coil from which the winding is then proceeding are folded over into contact with the outer cylindrical surface of the coil to be covered by successively wound turns of that layer. The last complete layer of wire'is then finished by carrying the winding operation to the opposite end of the coil. A few turns of wire are then wound back along the coil'and the remaining outwardly projecting tape-ends folded over such wire turns and clamped in place by a few additional turns.l

The wire is then cut off and its extreme outer end held in place in any convenient fashion, as by means of a strip of adhesive tape which covers the outer lwire-endend is stuck tothe body of the coil.

It will be apparent that in any of the coils described the folded-over pieces of tape, each of which embraces several turns of wire at least and has its ends clamped in place between subsequently wound turns of wire, securely bind the various turns of the coil together and result in the formation of a rigid self-supporting unit. In the above description of the coils and the method of winding them I have been specific as to the number of layers of wire embraced by the various folded-over pieces of tape merely for clearness of illustration; as in the practice of my invention in its preferred form the number of wire-layers embraced by each piece of tape will vary generally inversely as the diameter of the wire. Thus, the embracing of four layers-of wire by .each piece of tape, as Vabove described, is suitable for wires of-about 20 B.` & S. gage. For

ne wires, such as wires in the neighborhood of 40 B. & S. gage,` each piece of tape may .embrace 20 to 30 layers of wire; and for large wires, say wires of Sgage or larger, each piece of tape may embrace but a single layer.

Further forl clearness o-f illustration, I have in the sectional views shown each of the tapes as located in an axial plane of the coil; but it may be desirable to dispose thetapes at a slight angle to the axis so that when folded backfupon themselves one leg of each tape is not directly over the other.

When a coil of either of the types so far described is to be unwound, the piece ofadhesive tape 45 on the outside of the coil is removed to free the outer end of the wire. If desired, the coil may be mounted for rotation about its own axis on any convenient type lof xture and the wire removed tangentially, the coil rotating under the influence of tension in the wire as the wire is fed from it. I prefer, however, to remove the wire frornthe coil by the method illustrated in Fig. 14. Here, the coil is held stationarily and the wire withdrawn from it axially. As is clear from the drawings7 the successively freed tape-ends assume a position in which they extend generally radially outward from the end of the coil and each of them acts as a light brake whichfprevents more than one turn of wire from being withdrawn from the coil at a time. is lespecially advantageous in the case of fine wire the removal of which from acoil has, in the past, always been attended with considerable diiliculty. YIt is to be noted that in removing the wire from the coil in this fashion it is not brought into contact with the surfaces of any rigid mem'- bers which might injurewthe insulation on the wire'or otherwise damage it.

As the pieces of tape arefc'ompletely uncovered by the wire they fallV successively away from the coil. Because of their shortness, their fall is free and they do not tend to become entangled with the wire Vbeing withdrawn.'

In Figs.^11 and 12 I have'illustrated the formation of a coil by still a different method. This method is especially adapted for wire of `the larger sizes, say wire one-eighth inch or larger in diameter.

In forming a coil as illustrated in Figs. 11 and 12 I apply at spaced intervals to the rst turn of wire a set of folded-over piecesof exible mate- This rial 50. If the wire is wound upon a permanent be no permanent core, as in Fig. 13, both ends of ,each folded-over piece are brought out between the rstrand second turns of the wire `to be clamped between the first and second layers of wire. Y

Tapes of the type illustrated in Figs. 12 and 13 are applied to the wire at such intervals that each of themwill overlap wire-turns embraced by other tapes, so that the tapes form an overlapping series preventing axial separation of opposite end-turns.V Thus, in Fig. 12, the tapes on the rst turn of wire `at the right-hand end of the coil overlap the fth turn which is embraced by a second set of tapes 51. These, in turn, overlap the ninth turn embraced by a third set of tapes '52, and so on. The supply of such pieces of tape 'as those denoted as 50, 51, and 52 is `stopped at a point such that none will be laid which will extend outwardly beyond the lefthand end of the coil, and the rst layer of wire is completed, the last turn being supplied with a set of tapes 54 the ends of which are directed rightwardly, or oppositely to those which-have previously been embodied in the coil. As the second layer of wire is wound,'additional sets of tapes are embodied in the same manner as in the winding of the first layer, but because the rst-wire-layer provides a core similar to the tube 4'? shown in Fig. 1l, the tapes on .the second and succeeding wire-layers may be laid, as in Fig. 11, to be covered by subsequently wound turns of the same layer.

In finishing a coil of the type just described, a few turns of wire. arewound rtoV cover the ends of the last set of tapes put in position and the extreme end ofthe wire secured to the body of the coil in any convenient fashion.

It will be noted that a coil of wire wound by any of the methods above described is a unitary article completely tied together, although none of the pieces of tape used completely encircle it. In the coil illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the tapes 20 enclose the first four layers of wire while the tapes 21 enclose the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth layers. The tapes 22 enclose the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth layers, while the tapes 23 enclose the eighth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh layers. A similar radial overlapping of the tapes is provided in the coil'of Figs. 4,6, and 6. This overlapping of the ties elfected by the successively placed sets of tapes is not necessary, however. The only essential is that end Vturns of wire in the coil be .held against outward axial movement; and this in turn requires either that single pieces of tape. extend from one end of the coil to the other, as in Figs. l, 2, and 3, or that .the end turns at opposite ends cf the coil be tied 'together by a succession of axially overlapping tapes, as in the other arrangements.

The material which I use for the tapes may be of various kinds. Becausethe wire must bend the tapes as it is unwound, the character of the material used in the tapes should be co-ordinated with the size and tensile strength of the wire. 'Ihat is, the tape should not be of a material stiff enough to impose any dangerous tensile stresses on the wire which must bend the tapes as it is unwound.

For wire of 30 B. 8i S. gagey and larger I have found the paper tying ribbon used in the wrapping of packages to be satisfactory. This tape or ribbon has considerable tensile strength, running well over one hundred pounds per inch of width; and widths in the neighborhood of -13-6 or 1A; inch have proven satisfactory for my purpose. Smaller wire, however, may require tape of a more flexible nature, such as a narrow fabric ribbon. l

In some situations it may be impossible to use paper or fabric ribbon for tying the wire-coil. For example, my method may be used to great advantage in the process of annealing wire. The customary method of annealing wire embodies the wrapping of the wire upon a spool which must be relatively strong and rigid, and therefore heavy, to avoid distortion as a result of the heat changes to which it is subjected. YWhen using my method of wire-ceiling to form a coil of wire that is to be annealed, it is necessary that the tying material be incombustible in nature and it is alsoat least desirable to use as the tying material Asome substance which will not have a coefficient of expansion greatly different from that of thewire itself inorder ,to prevent loosening of the wirecoil or the imposition of great stresses as the temperature of the coil changes during the annealing process. thin 'copper ribbon may be used as the tying ma-V Thus,

terial in coils of copper wire destined for the annealing oven. V Y Coils wound in accordance with my invention may have a wide variety of applications. For example, the applicationl of my invention is not limited to coils which are intended directly for the market; as it may find useinplants which make the wire, insulate it, and vwind it into coils tions, as well as in the storagel of. wire; the costl of the spools and the expense ofhandling and transporting-f` them and; the troublejoff' keeping track of them is eliminated; and'in addition there are also eliminated the difficulties encountered in y the unwinding of wirefrom spools'.y

The tape whichr is used in. tying thejcoils .together may bearindicia-indicatingthe size and character ofthe wire, whichis of advantage in.

comparison with the method of indicating such characteristics on the endlof the spool; asindicia placedv upon the end of thespool may be' come accidentally removed, while my pieces oftape are and remain intimately ,associated with the coil until it is completely used up. Further, the manufacturer who sells wire directly to the, public can employ the faces of the tape for ad-` vertisingmatter. Y f In addition to being of value in the formation of coils ininterplant processes and incoils of wire intended for sale to the general public, my invention may also be used to form coils adapted for embodiment directly in electrical'apparatus. I claim as my invention: 1. A coil of wire comprising a plurality of layers each formed of a multiplicity of turns of wire and ible material held in place by wire `turns in thel body ofthe coil and embracing end turns, of the coil.

4. The invention set forth i claim 3 with me? addition that strips, of flexible material embracing turns at one end of the coil overlap axially" strips of eXible material embracing turns at opposite end of the coil. .V

5. The invention set forth in claim 3 with the addition that each of said strips extends through'. the coil and embraces turns'at both ends lof thev coil.

6. The invention set forth in claim 3 with the' addition `that said .strips-'are arranged series.

in axially overlapping relationship from one end of the coil to the other.

7. A coil of wire comprising a. plurality of layers each formed of amultiplicity of turns of wire and a plurality of strips of flexible material each embracing the end turns of a plurality of adjacent layers of wire and having its ends embedded within the coil.

8. The method of forming a coil of wire having a plurality of layers each embodying a multiplicity of turns of wire, which comprises winding the wirev upon a suitable form and binding between adjacent layers of wire one end of each of a plurality of strips of flexible material while leaving the other ends of such strips projecting from the coil, winding one or more additional layers of wire, folding inwardly of the coil the projecting ends of said strips, and Continuing the winding of the coil to bind such in-folded ends in place. v

9. The method of forming a coil of wire, which comprises Winding the wire upon a form in a plurality of layers each embodying a multiplicity of turns, during the winding of a layer laying a strip or" flexible material along the coil with one end overlying the wound portion of such layer and the other end projecting from the coil, completing the winding of such layer to bind the strip in place, folding the projecting end of said strip inwardly of the coil to embrace the end turn of such layer, and Winding additional wire-turns over such iniolded end to bind it in place.`

l0. The method of forming a coil of wire, which comprises winding the wire upon a form in a plurality of layers each embodying a multiplicity of turns, during the winding of a layer laying along the coil a plurality of angularly spaced strips of flexible material with one end of each strip overlying the wound portion of such layer and the other end projecting from the coil, completing the winding of such layer to bind the strips in place, folding the projecting ends of said strips inwardly of the coil to embrace the end turn of such layer, and winding additional wire-turns over such in-folded ends to bind them in place.

11. The method of forming a coil of wire having a plurality of layers each embodying a multiplicity of turns of wire, which comprises winding the wire upon a suitable form and binding between adjacent layers of wire one end of each of a plurality of strips of flexible material while leaving the-other ends of such strips projecting from the coil, winding one or more additional layers of Y Wire, during the winding of one such additional ing one or more additional layers of wire, during the Ywinding of one such additional layerfolding inwardly of the coil the projecting end of said strip to overlie and extend axially inwardly beyond the wound portion of such additional layer, and continuing the winding of such additional layer to bind the in-olded end of said strip in place.

KENLY C. BUGG. 

